892: Sea Queen Throne's Crash Course and the Inside Story of the Tianhan River Dike Breach
As Sea Queen Throne finished speaking, it sparked a heated discussion among many wizards. The apprentices, naturally having no right to speak, could only watch silently from below.
However, the Official Wizards, especially the Second Ring Wizards, were drawn into a relatively large controversy.
This was particularly true for the many ordinary Second Ring Wizards who were not yet Second Ring Apothecaries, and even a few Star Ring Wizards.
A white-haired ordinary Second Ring Wizard stood up. His magic pressure was approximately 19,000, and his eyes were filled with persistence as he spoke to Sea Queen Throne, "Throne Lord... I am already two hundred and fifty years old. I have spent a vast amount of time on Potionology. Many colleagues and students within the Root Crown Court know me; I have even developed several First Ring Potions myself."
"What you said just now is perhaps a bit too absolute."
Sea Queen Throne immediately crossed her arms and looked at him sideways.
"What is your name?"
The Old Wizard hesitated for a moment. He heard the uproar within the Root Crown Court; these voices of discussion gave him the confidence to confront the Throne Wizard head-on.
Furthermore, wizards... especially Official Wizards, were all super-individuals by nature.
They were not slaves to High-Ring Wizards, so their personal wills were quite strong. Facing Sea Queen Throne's blunt statement at this moment triggered a rebellious psychology in many wizards.
The Old Wizard said, "My name is William Rogel. Throne Lord, I have dedicated my life to Potionology, trained many excellent Potion Masters, and developed many interesting potions. I will continue to devote all my energy to Potionology in the future."
"Although I have failed the Second-Ring Apothecary assessment seventeen times in a row, I will keep working hard."
Sea Queen Throne raised an eyebrow.
"By 'hard work,' do you mean using forbidden drugs to enhance your Spiritual Cognition and prematurely consuming and burning your lifespan, which is why you are already decrepit despite being only three hundred years old?"
Wizard Rogel took half a step back, his composure clearly shattered.
"Throne Lord, you..."
Sea Queen Throne said, "I know that most people, upon seeing your passion and dedication to Potionology, would surely praise you. But I have some harsh words to say. I will emphasize my view to all of you once more: at least as far as I am concerned—only geniuses have the right to work hard."
Wizard Rogel's expression became extremely unsightly.
"But not everyone is a genius."
"Throne Lord, your words are killing our spirits. You are a pioneer on the path of truth, our future self, the ideal version of ourselves. Your attitude like this has hurt us."
Sea Queen Throne didn't care much about his offense. Instead, she shrugged, twirled the pen in her hand, and said, "Rogel, try spinning this pen using your mana."
Sea Queen Throne tossed the magic pencil out.
The Old Wizard, William Rogel, instinctively reached out and chanted an incantation, catching it with his mana. He then controlled it with a mana precision that was almost flawless, making the magic pencil spin within his mana.
Sea Queen Throne stepped away from the podium and clapped. "Impressive mana precision. That's why you were like a fish in water during the First Ring Potion stage, yet you've been stuck at the threshold of Second Ring Potionology for over two hundred years. Look at your mana; your precision is so high, yet you cannot complete the problems I set for you. Your problem is that you have completely misidentified your own talent. If you had used these two hundred years to study Puppetry, or even the branch of Potionology known as Potion Ingredient Identification, you could have achieved great things."
"Alas, why do people always insist on doing what they are not good at?"
Sea Queen Throne walked up to a Star Ring Wizard.
"Tell me, Wizard Phineas Buckley. What was it like when you first encountered Spiritual Knowledge?"
Wizard Phineas Buckley stood up, bowed to Sea Queen Throne, and after some thought, said carefully, "It was like someone who had been away from home for many years suddenly returning to his hometown. I was parched for Spiritual Knowledge; I immersed myself in it, and by the time I came to my senses, five years had already passed."
"Time passed quickly. Others said I was working hard, but I wasn't working hard at all. I studied twenty-four hours a day, and they said I was pushing myself to the limit, but I was simply captivated. It was an addiction."
Someone beside him whispered, 'No way, he only spent 24 hours a day on Potionology? I immerse myself in it for 72 hours every day.'
Sea Queen Throne nodded slightly to him. "Phineas Buckley, you may sit down."
"Many people believe that talent and hard work cannot be separated. But in reality, it is because one has talent that they are able to work hard."
The Old Wizard Rogel stood frozen on the spot, stunned, as he muttered to himself.
"Have I really been persisting in the wrong direction all this time? Then what am I? What has my life been?"
Locke glanced at him and frowned slightly. He hadn't expected this Potionology Throne teacher, meeting her for the first time, to completely break the composure of a three-hundred-year-old Second Ring Wizard in their very first meeting.
The man clearly didn't have a high status within the Root Crown Court.
He was only able to stay in this academy because of his seniority. Given the level of internal competition over the last century, this Old Wizard likely wouldn't even have been qualified to remain.
Locke couldn't gauge Sea Queen Throne's character, so he remained silent.
But Sea Queen Throne walked over to Locke and patted his shoulder. "Kid, you're not very old. Let me ask you, at what age did you start studying Potionology?"
Locke hesitated for a moment and said honestly, "About fourteen."
At fourteen, he had first learned the most basic Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method in Potionology.
Sea Queen Throne glanced at Locke in surprise, then looked at her family's wizard, that Second Ring witch, before looking back at Locke and saying, "Not bad. To reach the level of a Second-Ring Apothecary in only ten years. You can go take the certification exam now."
She looked at the badge Locke wore on his chest and noticed he hadn't obtained a Second-Ring Apothecary badge yet.
Sea Queen Throne asked, "So, how much time do you spend on Potionology each day?"
Seeing everyone looking at him, especially that Old Wizard, Locke frowned slightly and said, "As much as I can."
Sea Queen Throne smiled.
"I like wizards with personality. It seems you are also a genius in Potionology. Everyone, I'll put it plainly today: those who can become Second Ring Apothecaries are those who were meant to become them from the start. I don't have the ability to turn dross into gold."
"It is pathetic for a person to go against their own talent and try to become someone they are not through sheer hard work."
"Augustine, come with me. Today's lecture ends here. I hope that after you return today, you will all think carefully about your futures."
Locke followed her.
Although he didn't quite agree with Sea Queen Throne's ideas—after all, Witch Sophia had told him that as long as a person keeps working hard in one direction, they will eventually achieve their desires.
And Witch Catherine had also told him what an excellent person was: someone who does their best to do their own tasks well based on their own knowledge and experience.
But his second mentor in Potionology seemed to hold a profound belief in genius-only theory from the very beginning.
Without talent, there is no possibility for hard work.
Without talent, even hard work appears ridiculous.
Locke glanced at the many wizards present whose composure had been shattered. Some even looked at him with unfriendly eyes, but in the next moment, Locke's even colder and more indifferent gaze fell upon them.
These people, who wanted to bully the weak and fear the strong, immediately abandoned their thoughts of venting their anger on him and quickly gave Locke friendly looks to show they harbored no ill will.
Walking out of the Root Crown Court's public building and onto its magnificent wooden corridor, he followed behind Sea Queen Throne. She asked him, "Augustine, you don't seem to agree with my philosophy? Or rather, are you very opposed to it?"
Locke bowed to the Throne.
"Throne teacher, I am simply reserving my own opinion. Wizards can be in harmony despite their differences. Even if our opinions differ, it doesn't mean I need to oppose your view. Besides, you are a Throne Wizard, a pioneer on the path of truth; your words and actions must have deep meaning."
Sea Queen Throne said with her back to him, "Deep meaning? I don't have any deep meaning. My meaning is all right there on the surface."
Sea Queen Throne suddenly turned back to look at him and said, "Augustine, do you like to drink?"
Locke was a bit puzzled and said, "Uh, Throne teacher, I occasionally drink some Peach Blossom Intoxication."
Sea Queen Throne was stunned for a moment.
"Peach Blossom Intoxication? Can that kind of low-alcohol wizard wine even be called wine? I'm talking about the kind of wizard wine that can make even a High-Ring Wizard dead drunk and forget everything, [Dream of a Thousand Autumns]."
"Well then, do you smoke? Want some?"
Sea Queen Throne held a tobacco pipe, filled it with a bit of tobacco, and then took a deep drag. "Want some?"
Locke found it a bit difficult to deal with; it was his first time meeting such an unconventional High-Ring Wizard. "No thanks, teacher. I don't smoke."
Sea Queen Throne glanced at him sideways.
"Alas, another conventional kid."
Sea Queen Throne said, "You can call me Lord Helen. As for teacher... the relationship between us is only one driven by the Feathered Serpent Ancient Pavilion. Because I owe that place quite a few favors; when I was young, I also utilized some resources from the Feathered Serpent Ancient Pavilion."
Locke nodded. This was better; after all, he only wanted to obtain further Potionology inheritance.
With the interests so clearly defined, it would be easier for him to manage their relationship.
Locke bowed to Sea Queen Throne and said, "Very well, Lord Helen."
"You kid, can't you be more live—" Witch Helen was about to continue speaking when a Third Ring Wizard suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor. This Third Ring Wizard seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, having rushed over.
He glanced at Locke, and after looking at the Golden Crown Mountain badge on Locke's body, he was slightly stunned. But quickly, he ignored Locke and looked at Sea Queen Throne, saying, "Lady Helen, I invited you here as a guest lecturer to open Potionology classes for us and enhance the Potionology strength of our Root Crown Court branch."
"I was also counting on you to open a small class specifically to improve some of the talented wizards in our academy and help them break through from First Ring Apothecaries to Second Ring Apothecaries. Why is it that when I just went to take a look, many of our academy's Potion Masters were... emotionally wounded?"
Wizard John followed beside Sea Queen Throne.
"Are there really no students or Official Wizards who catch your eye? Are they not worth your training?"
Sea Queen Throne raised an eyebrow.
"As for those people you found to attend my class, most of them indeed have no talent for Potionology. Only one or two out of ten can understand my lecture. I suggested they change careers early on; I meant no ill will."
Wizard John was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead.
"As a High-Ring Wizard, you can naturally look down from above and see that they have taken the wrong path. But they are inside the labyrinth themselves; it's impossible for them to know they haven't chosen the optimal route."
"Besides... Hmm? This wizard, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
Seeing Sea Queen Throne's nonchalance, Wizard John immediately knew it would be difficult to change a Throne Wizard's perception. Distracted for a moment, he promptly noticed Locke's familiar face.
"I remember now. It was the Cloud Marsh Cup."
Wizard John said, "We met at the Cloud Marsh Cup two years ago."
Locke bowed to him.
Wizard John smiled and said, "Back then, you seemed to be in the Six Towers Land. You sent someone to buy a Dragon Crystal Ecological Dome from us. There were several orders ahead of yours; even if you had waited five more years, it wouldn't have been your turn. I was the one who had your order moved up, just to see if you could cultivate that tactical-grade Magic Plant weapon overlaid with a Eternal Defense Field."
"But in the end, you certainly didn't disappoint me."
Only then did Locke realize in hindsight why his procurement of equipment from the Cloud Marsh back in the Six Towers Land had been so smooth. It turned out a benefactor had indeed given him a push, and that person was none other than Wizard John before him.
Locke bowed and said, "Lord John, thank you for your help in the past."
Wizard John burst into laughter.
"It's nothing, nothing at all. Just a small matter."
"Back then, I also felt that young people with ideas should be given a chance."
Taking the opportunity to change the subject, Wizard John looked at Sea Queen Throne and said, "At least give the young people a chance to work hard. If they don't try, how will they know they have no talent? You won't even give them a chance to try."
"How else can they be convinced to withdraw, knowing there is no hope for them on this path?"
Sea Queen Throne frowned.
She seemed to have some unpleasant memories.
"No, I just know."
Wizard John said, "I know you are an excellent Potionology wizard. The Fragrant Coral Islands is a distribution center for Potionology materials... You are a famous local Potionology master, and you have personally taught many outstanding students..."
Sea Queen Throne said, "I'm just seeking fame. It's those students who have the ability, not me."
Wizard John was momentarily choked up.
"I'll pay more, I can pay more."
"As long as you can set up a Potionology advanced class of about ten people in our Root Crown Court to help our Second Ring Wizards pass the Second-Ring Apothecary certificate, I can double your annual guest lecture fee."
"In addition, your previous application to enter the Root Crown Court's special-grade medicinal garden can also be approved."
Sea Queen Throne took a sharp breath.
"That's not what you said at first. You told me that these students you were giving me were all geniuses."
"Back then, you made it sound as pretty as a flower."
"But look at them now!"
"Besides, didn't you bring me here for a Potionology project in the Star Domain Sea?"
Wizard John gave a guilty smile and said, "But these people... this is just their level. I still want you to improve their strength and proficiency in Potionology."
Sea Queen Throne glanced at Locke, then looked at Wizard John and said, "Fine. Let this wizard from Golden Crown Mountain and ten ordinary Second Ring Wizards from your Root Crown Court form a special advancement class."
"This class will only last until the first wizard passes the Apothecary assessment."
Sea Queen Throne effectively shut him up.
"This wizard from Golden Crown Mountain has taken the ladder mission from the Feathered Serpent Ancient Pavilion. Therefore, to pass the Apothecary assessment, he must refine three types of potions: the archangel potion, the clone potion, and the Spirit-Stabilizing Potion."
Wizard John looked at Locke in surprise, with even a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
"The archangel potion. Using a potion of this level to pass the Second-Ring Apothecary assessment, this really is..."
Locke did not answer.
Although the fifth round of the Ladder Test only required him to learn the clone potion and the archangel potion within ten years, it essentially implied that he should pass the Second-Ring Apothecary test using these three potions.
Because if he were distracted by learning two other types of potions, he would likely fail to complete this round of the ladder, and his ladder path would be cut short.
Doing the fifth round of the ladder and the Second-Ring Apothecary test simultaneously was a more rational allocation of resources.
As long as he still wanted to complete the fifth round of the ladder.
After all, the time required to learn a potion is very long, especially for Second-Ring Potions.
It wasn't just a single recipe; there were also the related hidden true forms, especially the Spiritual Cognition and spirit macro parts.
Wizard John murmured to himself, "The archangel potion is an excellent Second-Ring Potion for healing injuries. However, the difficulty of refining it is quite high. It's said that a single drop can bring a Mortal back to life, and drinking a whole bottle can even allow a Official Wizard with a severely damaged soul to fully recover."
"For Second Ring Wizards, it is the best type of recovery potion."
"I had long heard that the difficulty of the Feathered Serpent Ancient Pavilion's Ladder Test was extremely high, even higher than the Second-Ring Apothecary test, but I didn't expect it to be this high."
Sea Queen Throne said, "Are you satisfied now? I will have this student of mine pass the Second-Ring Apothecary certification with the archangel potion. Therefore, in this fast-track advancement class I'm forming, he might not be the first one to become a Second-Ring Apothecary."
A satisfied smile appeared on Wizard John's face.
In that case, it was indeed worth accepting.
Otherwise, after all the trouble he went through to invite this Throne Wizard from the Fragrant Coral Islands Wizard Land to the Root Crown Court, wouldn't he just be paving the way for that young wizard from Golden Crown Mountain?
Bringing her here had also cost him a lot of connections.
Wizard John said, "Of course."
Sea Queen Throne said, "However, the lecture content will still depend on the progress of these eleven students. I can only teach based on the needs of the student who is leading in progress."
Wizard John had no objection to this; as a Third Ring Wizard, he naturally didn't know the details of lower-level matters very well.
After all, a Third Ring Wizard only does very well in each sub-direction within their own discipline. To maintain this leading position, they already exert all their effort, so they naturally don't have much understanding of many other things.
Therefore, it was inevitable that Third Ring Wizards could not manage every detail of lower-level affairs.
Wizard John said, "That is your academic freedom."
Wizard John smiled and said, "The promises I made to you, Throne Lord, are still valid. The strength of the Potionology discipline in our Root Crown Court branch depends entirely on you, Throne Lord."
Wizard John left happily, feeling very productive.
Once he was gone, Sea Queen Throne glanced at his departing figure and then said to Locke, "You see? That fellow John immediately agreed to my proposal after finding out you have to learn the archangel potion. It's because the difficulty of the archangel potion is quite high."
"He believes you won't be able to complete the archangel potion in the next few years. However, you'd better complete it as soon as possible. That way, I can get rid of teaching a group of people who have no chance of becoming Second Ring Apothecaries."
Sea Queen Throne held her forehead in distress.
Locke could only say, "Lord Helen, I will do my best."
Sea Queen Throne glanced at him.
"You can't relax either. In John's academy, there are still some wizards with a bit of potential. If your progress in Potionology is too slow and falls below my expectations, then the situation will be the opposite of what it is now."
"Let's add each other as friends on the water gourd system. I've already added you to a group, and other students will be entering it one after another. I'm very busy myself, so the class times will be very flexible, but I'll have my assistant notify you of the class schedule a week in advance. I don't want you making excuses to shirk and not show up."
"That would make me very unhappy."
After adding Locke as a friend, Sea Queen Throne left the corridor directly.
Locke watched Sea Queen Throne leave and gave a bitter smile. Next, he would have to wait for her to schedule the classes.
Obviously, he was likely the one with the fastest Potionology progress among the eleven students, so the first class should be focused on his needs.
This was very much in line with his interests.
After all, he did currently need to receive a very systematic Potionology inheritance... A week later, Locke received a congratulatory reply from Cloud Marsh. The letter congratulated him on his article about obtaining the mountain-crossing dragon naked fern through Ancestral Evolution and how the mountain-crossing dragon naked fern could fish in the Imaginary Sea to produce special Spirit Breath. The article had passed review and would be published in this month's Yunze journal.
Reading the letter, Locke saw it also mentioned his first submission to Cloud Marsh two years ago. It noted that his current level was significantly higher than back then, so the Cloud Marsh editorial department congratulated him on his great progress in Botany.
Locke put away the letters and had Douglas, who helped him with chores in his dormitory, fold them and keep them in a file folder.
Douglas said to Locke with a look of admiration, "Little Boss Locke, you have another article published in a Second Ring journal."
"And it's in the highly prestigious Cloud Marsh."
Locke nodded slightly.
Unfortunately, this time, obtaining his second first district journal article didn't garner the same level of massive attention as before. There were almost no congratulations on the water gourd system.
The main reason actually had nothing to do with him.
Currently, the entire Breeder field and Botanical Wizard field of the Cloud Marsh were ignited by the Magic Plant Crystallization Technology announced by Master Patrick Finch at an academic exchange conference a few days ago.
Everyone's attention was on the Magic Plant Crystallization Technology. Almost every day, so-called inside information appeared and spread like wildfire.
Every Breeder was inquiring about information related to Magic Plant Crystallization Technology.
This made his "mere" article published in a Second Ring first district journal seem insignificant. It was like throwing a pebble into a turbulent sea; it wouldn't create a splash of its own.
Locke saw that someone on the water gourd system had pushed more news about Magic Plant Crystallization Technology to him.
For ordinary wizards, obtaining even partial detailed information on such technology was very difficult. However, for a wizard like him at the True Knowledge Institute of a top wizard university in the Cloud Marsh, it was quite easy to acquire.
In fact, Master Patrick Finch himself particularly hoped that wizards from various True Knowledge Institutes and university research groups would join this research direction.
Locke glanced at the system and found that Wizard Brandy had sent him a pile of messages, almost all of which were about how great Magic Plant Crystallization Technology was. He even said that compared to Magic Plant Crystallization Technology, traditional Magic Plant technology was quite backward, and continuing to study it would mean falling out of touch with the times.
Locke could tell at a glance that Wizard Brandy seemed to be in a state of extreme anxiety.
He could even be described as being somewhat absent-minded.
Wizard Droma had also sent him some messages, mostly wanting to discuss the prospects of Magic Plant Crystallization Technology with him.
Locke replied to them casually, at least to keep up appearances.
Then, he saw even Team Leader Kelt ask him, "Locke, do you know about the recent Magic Plant Crystallization Technology? I heard it's very popular. At first, I thought it was a scam, but look, three more articles related to it have appeared in First District Second Ring journals recently."
"As far as I know, the project fund review wizards for the entire Yunze Wetland are now quite biased toward wizards researching Magic Plant Crystallization Technology."
"What do you think? I'm even thinking about doing research in this area."
Locke responded, "Team Leader Kelt, I'm not familiar with it."
Team Leader Kelt sent Locke a message.
"I heard you went to Master Patrick Finch's academic exchange meeting a few days ago, didn't you? You're a Breeder genius recognized even by the Throne Lord. You must have gained something after listening to him, right?"
Locke responded to Team Leader Kelt, "I really want to help you, Team Leader. But I truly don't know much about this Magic Plant Crystallization Technology."
Locke waited for a moment, only to see Team Leader Kelt send him a message: 'That's a pity. I heard rumors that this year's special grant from the Rose Council has been internally decided, and the applicant's proposal is in the research direction of Magic Plant Crystallization Technology.'
'Besides that, I've heard that many competitions and projects are starting to favor Magic Plant breeding in the direction of crystallization research. This direction is really popular right now.'
Team Leader Kelt seemed eager to jump on it immediately.
'At first, I thought it was a bubble, but now it seems like a very promising direction. It's just a pity the Breeders around me know little about it; I thought you might know something, Locke.'
'Aren't you considering working in this direction?'
'Regardless, at least for the time being, working in this direction will definitely make it easier to apply for many things and easier to publish articles.'
Team Leader Kelt sent him a newspaper, which showed a piece of information publicly released by a Third Ring Breeder from the Rose Council who hadn't attended the Genesis Meeting.
This Third Ring Breeder's evaluation of Magic Plant Crystallization Technology in the newspaper was: 'A project with immense potential that could make Patrick Finch a Third Ring Wizard, or even a Throne Wizard.'
'The current disclosure of this technical direction indicates that Patrick Finch can become a Third Ring Wizard within the next twenty years.'
This Third Ring Breeder, Berber, also commented: 'But Sun Ring Wizard Patrick Finch still has a serious problem. Since he disclosed this direction to everyone, although he can use the abilities of many colleagues to increase his chances of reaching the Third Ring and use it to apply for Third Ring projects, it is also equivalent to making public the technical route that holds the potential for applying for Throne projects. This means his path to the Throne might very well be seized by some Sun Ring Wizards or Third Ring Wizards.'
Locke's pupils suddenly constricted.
"This is actually a technical route with the potential to apply for Throne projects."
Team Leader Kelt sent him a message.
'Master Berber is a well-known Breeder, the master of the Parasitic Starfish magic plant breeding improvement method. His evaluation of this technical route cannot be said to be anything but high.'
'In any case, many wizards have indeed benefited from it already. I didn't expect that the new generation of breeding technology innovation would actually rise from the Rose Council's side. Truly unexpected.'
'Locke, I suggest you research it. With your ability, if you take this direction, you will definitely gain something.'
Locke thought for a moment and replied to Team Leader Kelt: 'I'm also quite interested in exploring this direction. But I've already decided on my development path for now and won't be changing it. What I've prepared for the special grant is research related to the Ancestral Evolution of Magic Plants.'
Team Leader Kelt was silent for a while, then he messaged Locke: "Oh, I just realized you just published a First District Second Ring journal article involving Ancestral Evolution. I'm so envious."
Team Leader Kelt sent him an envious emoji.
Team Leader Kelt said, "No wonder you're so composed; you have your own research direction. But we wizards are different from you; we don't have that many ideas. I'm going to look around and ask people about this Magic Plant Crystallization Technology to see if I can get a share of the leftovers."
Locke sent a 'cheer up' emoji to Team Leader Kelt.
Next, Locke saw on the water gourd system that some wizards were actually coming to indirectly ask him if he knew about the Magic Plant crystallization route or if he had any corresponding resources.
Locke frowned; he hadn't expected this thing to be popular to such an extent.
This might bring some changes to the special grant application.
Locke looked at Douglas and said, "Don't go back today, because I'm planning to write another article with you and submit it to the First District Second Ring journal Cloud Marsh again."
Douglas was stunned.
"Little Boss, you have another article to publish? O... Okay."
Locke nodded. "It's about the Spirit Breath Cultivation Method."
"But I need to borrow some equipment."
"I need to use the Queen's Chessboard and the sunlight magic mirror."
When he had used the Spirit Breath Cultivation Method to create the super grotto-heaven, he had already recorded it using the Archaeology Spell Model Historical Reproduction.
Originally, there were issues with precision.
But because he now possessed twenty thousand magic pressure of historical spiritual movement, the details of his Historical Reproduction had been deduced to a new stage. Therefore, he could completely use the details of the super grotto-heaven recorded by the Archaeology Spell Model Historical Reproduction, and then use the Queen's Chessboard and sunlight magic mirror to analyze its structure, spiritual changes, and Primal Force characteristics.
Since it was a brand-new structure, he only needed to use the equipment to analyze its structure once, and he could probably publish a Second District Second Ring article, or even try to publish it in the First District.
Of course, to publish in the First District of the Second Ring, he would likely need to clarify at least part of how this super grotto-heaven was actually constructed.
However, since he had already completed the construction and was performing a post-hoc analysis after using it, analyzing either the structure or the construction method of the Three-Layer Verdant Nursery Garden Grotto-Heaven was actually much simpler than creating something from nothing.
Locke looked at Douglas before him; the focus was not this person, but the Third Ring Witch King behind him.
Admittedly, that Witch King was not a Breeder, but the structure of the Garden Grotto-Heaven was not entirely within the scope of Breeding Science; it involved multiple disciplines.
With the help of this Third Ring Witch King, he would certainly achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Having a Crystallized Wizard working for him was equivalent to having a Third Ring Wizard helping out.
It was truly a massive gain.
It was just that he had better not expose this delicate situation for now, to prevent this fragile balance from being disrupted.
He just didn't know when the other party planned to invite him to open the Age of Stars treasury located on Golden Crown Mountain.
Inside Douglas's mind, Lagemen Witch King praised, "I've said it before, Locke Augustine is a Breeder genius rarely seen in fifty years."
"The speed at which he publishes First District articles should be very fast. I just didn't expect it to be even faster than I thought. To think that after just one trip out, he's already trying to publish a third First District Second Ring journal article."
"As far as I know, for this era, his publication speed is quite extraordinary."
Inside his sea of consciousness, Douglas was full of admiration for Locke: "That's right. Mr. Augustine's talent is not something that shameless Wizard Brandy can compare to."
"Mr. Augustine's laboratory is what a true wizard's laboratory should be like."
Always full of work to do, always exploring novel fields of knowledge.
Locke then spoke with Douglas about some content related to the third article; in fact, he was just using him to converse with that Witch King.
Next, Locke left his dormitory and headed to the laboratory located on the Dune Plane to check on the cultivation of his golden dragon claw air pineapple seeds.
After finishing these things, Locke went to the seventh floor of the True Knowledge Institute because he wanted to see Witch Catherine and return the testing ring to her... True Knowledge Institute, seventh floor.
Witch Catherine was sitting at her desk, seemingly in conversation with Wizard Turazin. When Locke entered, Wizard Turazin was reporting the dam breach of the Tianhan River to Witch Catherine's clone.
Wizard Turazin said, "My third clone has been lurking at the Tianhan River recently. According to my many investigations, I believe the dam breach of the Tianhan River was definitely not a natural occurrence."
Locke stood at the door and asked, "Teacher, did I come at the wrong time?"
Wizard Turazin also turned around and looked at Locke.
Witch Catherine nodded.
"Come in. Give me the testing ring."
Locke took out two testing rings. This pair of rings had absorbed the soul dissipation data of the Wind Giant couple. At this time, Witch Catherine's clone also took out an ancient-looking ring.
It was a wooden ring that looked like the most ordinary wood, without even any patterns or any unusual appearance on the surface.
Immediately after, the two rings in his hand were suddenly attracted over. The rings seemed to begin an abnormal deformation, and while deforming, they rushed toward the mother ring in Witch Catherine's palm.
That mother ring merged with the two testing rings.
In a series of deformations, the three rings quickly merged into one.
Looking at the ring in her palm, Witch Catherine said with some surprise, "It seems the quality of your data collection this time was very good, which has made the completion of this ring a bit higher."
The ring in her hand floated in mid-air. As the wooden ring tumbled, one became two, two became four, and four became eight.
Next, Witch Catherine took four of the rings and gave them to Locke and Wizard Turazin respectively.
"These are a new round of testing rings. You two can give them to suitable subjects for testing."
"Then collect them again."
"Locke, you did very well this time. Whether it's the Wizard Shoes, the testing ring, or that article you published in Cloud Marsh."
"I was not wrong about you, and I believe you still possess even greater potential."
"I plan to entrust you with more important responsibilities."
Locke walked over, and then Witch Catherine looked at Turazin and asked, "What were you saying just now, Turazin?"
Wizard Turazin glanced at Locke and then said, "There are no outsiders here. I'll just say it directly. Teacher, according to the results of my investigation, I believe the Tianhan River dam breach was man-made, not... a natural disaster."